Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has questioned influential forces behind the government’s decision to reinstate Tk50,000 car maintenance allowance for officials who purchased vehicles using interest-free loans.
The anti-corruption watchdog said the government appears to have succumbed to the “unjust influence of a privileged class of bureaucrats”, disregarding previous directives from the prime minister (PM) intended to curb such spending.
In a statement issued on Sunday, TIB Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman said the PM had earlier set a “commendable precedent” by ordering the maintenance cost be halved to Tk25,000 and cancelling the interest-free loan facility. This move was originally designed to prevent discrimination and reduce wastage of public funds.
Iftekharuzzaman expressed concern that decisions from the highest level of the state are being rendered ineffective by beneficiaries driven by “narrow interests”. He urged the government to identify those responsible for forcing a retreat from this austerity policy, describing their mindset as “opportunistic”.
He further criticised the “purposive classification” of so-called entitled officials, adding that the privilege is limited to a mere 2,400 individuals.
He argued that this system is “humiliating” for other officials of equal status within the same cadre or services, jeopardising the “internal equilibrium of public administration”. According to him, such biased privileges foster unhealthy competition for specific titles and undermine motivation of those denied the facility.
The statement also questioned whether agencies and bureaucrats enjoying these perks had failed to learn from the PM’s personal example of using a private car and bearing his own fuel expenses.
Highlighting the ongoing domestic and international financial crisis, Iftekharuzzaman said the government has already implemented unconditional salary increases for officials.
He added with regret that TIB’s previous recommendation to make disclosure of assets mandatory for government officials had not been accepted, raising concerns about the level of “corruption and hassle-free services” the public can expect under the new salary scale.
TIB concluded that the government’s reversal in the face of dissatisfaction from a privileged class represents an “alarming capitulation to bureaucratic pressures” rather than a typical administrative request.
